Cream cheese and bacon loaded fries

It doesn’t get any more appetizing than combining homemade, extra crispy potato fries with melted cheese. Sprinkle on top some crispy bacon and you got yourself the perfect meal to enjoy in front of the TV. Much better than the same old store-bought chips!

If you’re like me and enjoy a snack while watching the favorite tv show on a Sunday evening than this one is for you.

As you probably know, I like to make everything in house, so making homemade fries is a must. Not that store – premade, freezed fries won’t work brilliantly with the topping we are going to make, but the rustic feel and amazing taste of home-made fries is just worth the extra effort.

The secret to crispy, in house made fries from scratch, involves several steps and can be time consuming, but in my experience it’s worth it.

Let’s begin by prepping the fries. Peel the potatoes. Cut them in classics sticks about 2 inch in length and 1/4 inch thick. Put them in a bowl of cold water to prevent oxidation and dissolve some of the starch which will make them extra crispy later.

It is advised to let them soak for a few hours.

In the meantime let’s prepare the cheese and bacon topping.

Cut the bacon in strips. Fry it in a non-stick pan with little oil until perfectly crisp. Once done, set them aside on a paper towel.

For the cheese topping I decided to go for a combination of cheddar and mascarpone with a pinch of dried garlic powder and spicy paprika.

Grate the cheddar and add it with the mascarpone in a sauce pan. Put on the burner on low heat and stir continuously until melted and well combined. At the very end add the spices and set aside.

Time to fry the fries!

This is a two step procedure. First fry them on low heat, 220F/100C, for 5 minutes. Until they are half way done. Take them out, drain from oil and set on a paper towel to completely drain from the oil and cool down.

In the meantime get the oil very hot, to about 350F/180C. Fry the fries again, until crispy brown, to your liking. Drain them well from excess oil before serving.

Serve the warm fries in a shallow bowl, add a pinch of salt on top and pour the awesome cheese sauce on top. Finally, top with the crispy bacon chunks.